workout ideas

Enough is enough. I need to make a plan and incorporate some sort of exercise into my life. I've gone through many phases throughout my life. There have always been challenges presented when it comes to working out, but none was as challenging as life in Saudi. First, although female gyms exsist, they are few and are far from my home. Dealing with big city traffic and a long ride to and from a gym is just not gonna work. Also, life here is just not active. Some of this is due to the nine months of heat (three of which are unbearably hot). But I notice that ppl just don't get out and walk around like we do in the US. Also, the food, although most of it delicious, is not always healthy. Most families, icluding mine, have rice everyday...hello, carbs. And there is a lot of oil and frying going on as well, although we have very limited amounts in my home. Also, some of the best chocolate in the world can be found here and I'm a chocolate lover. :/

So, I need to figure out some ideas, make a plan, and get started on this.

I gained weight shortly after moving here (interestingly enough, most ppl do). I was able to lose some of that but then I became pregnant with little guy. Between eating too much and not being active enough I gained way too much weight during pregnancy. I still have a good 10 lbs of that left that I need to lose, and it wouldn't such a bad thing to lose a bit more than that. My favorite weight for myself was when I was 125lbs. I don't know if I'll ever get to that again, but I could settle for 130-135. I don't want to be skinny as much as I want to be healthy and feel good.

During Ramadan, hubby and I took little guy with his stroller and walked for about an hour every evening. It was so nice. But that was during Ramadan, when I was off work and had extra time. Now, I wake up at 5am and never seem to stop until 9 or 10pm. I recently made some adjustments regarding my workload, so now I need to adjust some things at home to allow myself an hour each evening to workout.

Here are some ideas:

~Organize and manage computer time. There are days that I don't even sign online and I do that on purpose. I know that once I check my email, fb, and blogger that I'll be on for awhile. The old "I'm just gonna check my email" thing is not true. So I want to designate computer time and not go over.

~Keep to the routine. Little guy and I have established a pretty good routine from the time we get home from school until bedtime. If we continue to follow this, I should be able to manage an hour for myself each day.

~Allot hubby time. My husband has a job that keeps him quite busy, even after office hours. So we have to make an effort to find time together each day, esp during the work week. This is essential in maintaining a good marriage. Couples need some time every day where they drop everything and just hang out together. If we designate a certain time each day for this then we can plan other things such as exercise around that.

~Be realistic. There are only so many hours in a day. I can have a to-do list a mile long, but I have to be realistic about how little time I have and use that time wisely. It's okay to say, "No, I can't do all of these things, there isn't enough time." I want to prioritize.

~Eat healthier. I can not diet, I'm just not the dieting type. It will never last. However, I can eat healthier.

~Find workout ideas that work for me. Here are a few...

Pilates...I heart Pilates. It's quick (some workouts are as little as 20 mins), it's not sweaty, and it feels so good for the body. I have a couple of videos that I can do here at home.

Workout videos...I do have a few that I brought back from America (Btw, these are not easily found here). This one, Emergency Workout, is great. I used it a lot in the US (I've had it for years). It's divided into two parts (30 mins each); cardio and toning. If I could follow even half of the suggested scheduled then I should feel better within 12 weeks (double the scheduled time). That's less pressure and more realistic. One slight problem is that I have this on VHS, I'm currently trying to get it on DVD though.

My steps....hahaha, look around and use what you've got. I have these bad boy steps in my home that run from the ground floor up to the third. Who needs a stairclimber when you've got the real thing? A couple of days ago, I disassembled little guy's house with swing and slide thingy and took it in pieces from his bedroom (3rd floor) to the outside area (ground floor). I made several trips up and down these stairs and the next day I was feeling it. But it was that good "I worked out" kinda feeling. I need to utilize these things.

So, what about you? How do you workout or feel healthy? Any suggestions or ideas would be so greatly appreciated. I need inspiration...BIG time! :)